Meat skinning machines adapted to remove skin or membrane from meat, poultry or fish products have long been in existence. These machines include an elongated skinning blade with a sharp cutting edge which is positioned adjacent a gripping roll having a plurality of teeth thereon for pulling the meat product towards the cutting edge of the blade. For certain meats, the meat product must be passed by the cutting edge of the blade several times to completely remove the skin or membrane. With prior art skinning machines, the operator of the meat skinning machine reaches over the blade after the first pass of the meat product, picks up the meat product and brings it back to the forward side of the blade, and turns or flips the meat product before the product is passed a second time over the skinning blade to remove additional skin or membrane. Such operation presents hazards to the operator, since the meat product is typically cold and operator's hands are cold, thus inhibiting the operator's dexterity in handling the meat product. Also, some meat products, such as livers, are heavy and hard to handle, thereby increasing the risk of injury to the operator. Furthermore, the physical characteristics of the operator, such as his or her height and weight, may increase the hazards due to stretching.
More recently, rigid deflector plates have been employed on skinning machines to reduce the risk of injury to the operator. The prior art deflector plates are fixed at a specific angle relative to the blade, and direct the meat upwardly away from the blade after a portion of the meat product passes the cutting edge of the blade. The deflector plate thus allows the operator to flip the meat product, without grasping, to a position in front of the skinning blade such that the second pass of the meat product across the skinning blade can be more readily accomplished with decreased chance of injury to the operator. However, since the prior art deflector plates are not adjustable, different sized operators still are presented with risk of injury. Also, the fixed angular relationship of the deflector plate relative to the blade does not accommodate different types of meat.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved meat skinning machine having a pivotal deflector plate.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a deflector plate for a meat skinning machine which can be set at various angles relative to the skinning blade of the machine.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a deflector plate for a meat skinning machine which can be moved forwardly or rearwardly so as to adjust the distance between the plate and the cutting edge of the skinning blade of the machine.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a method for skinning meat on a meat skinning machine wherein the angle of a deflector plate is pivotally adjusted relative to the blade prior to feeding the meat into the cutting blade of the machine, such that the meat is deflected upwardly by the deflector plate as the meat passes the cutting blade.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a deflector plate for a meat skinning machine which is economical to manufacture, and durable and safe in use.